Fiat and Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne is ready to make the most of the tie-up between the two brand portfolios; similar to Volkswagen, he is looking to amortize platform cost across as many brands as possible. One of the first up – and most controversial – is the Jeep Grand Cherokee- based Maserati SUV slated to bow at next month’s Frankfurt Motor Show. If a Maserati SUV wasn’t heresy enough, Bloomberg now reports that the Italian crossover won’t be Italian at all, joining the Jeep and the Dodge Durango in being produced at Chrysler’s Jefferson North assembly plant in Detroit, Michigan.

The official announcement won’t come until next month when the car is revealed, but would make logical sense given the lowered cost of shared tooling and that the U.S. market is likely to be one of the largest for the Maserati SUV.Expect to see the same 4.7-liter V-8 from the Quattroporte and GranTurismo/GranCabrio to make its way under the hood, along with Chrysler’s new ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic. The V-8 should be good for 470 hp, but a 300-hp diesel variant using the Jeep’s 3.0-liter V-6 available overseas could be in the cards for European customers as well.

Look for Maserati to set its crosshair directly at the Porsche Cayenne when it comes to competition for the new SUV. Pricing should be right in line with the German competition, starting somewhere north of around $90,000.Make sure to check out our coverage on the Maserati SUV and all the debuts from the Frankfurt Motor Show next month.

Chrysler co-developed the all new platform with Daimler using Jeep's expertise. Since Chrysler and Daimler have split, the architecture will vary. The Grand Cherokee is an excellent SUV. Maserati is fortunate to leverage it.